phone

Apparently, Microsoft hasn't done a lot of things. It hasn't completely thrown out the Nokia name for mobile devices. It hasn't given up just yet on feature phones. And it hasn't ported Windows Phone down to that tier, if that's even possible at all. So it is both surprising and yet at the same time expected that the tech company is now unveiling it latest feature phone. Perhaps the last to bear the Nokia name as well. But besides that name, Microsoft wants you to remember that this is the cheapest Internet-connected smartphone in the market.

Just yesterday, Google rolled out an update to Hangouts on Android that added a bit of whimsical fun via stickers. While not as cute as that, the desktop version of Hangouts is now also seeing its fair share of updates. The latest version of the Hangouts Chrome browser app has been updated not just to match the Android version's Material Design but also adds a similar Phone tab to the user interface. It also got its own desktop notifications to alert you to new messages.

These days, speech recognition is a lot about Siri versus Google Now versus Cortana, but that is definitely not the only use case for the technology. We often take for granted what we are able to use our smartphones for because we are physically capable of handling them. Luckily, there are those like RogerVoice who are taking up the banner for others, especially those with hearing problems who still want to use their phones for what they are originally intended to be used for: making calls.

Everyone is getting into wearables these days. And by everyone, we don't just mean the usual culprits of technology companies and mobile device makers. Seeing traditional watch makers trying to dip their toes in the nascent market isn't surprising. But entertainers and artists? That's definitely not your usual mix. And yet that is actually what will.i.am from popular music group Black Eyed Peas is doing and he will be revealing exactly what his vision and plans are for this rising device category this Wednesday at Dreamforce 2014.

Contracts have their place, but some subscribers look no further than prepaid offerings. As with most other carriers, AT&T offers prepaid subscription options under its GoPhone service, and as of this week those who use it have some new options for prepaid home phone service and Internet.

Users are known to ignore a few warnings, skip a few steps, and other sometimes cringe-worthy actions for the sake of convenience. However, that isn't an excuse for app developers to ignore common sense (which, apparently, isn't really that common) just to provide users that convenience. Unfortunately, that might be the case on iOS, where several popular apps have allegedly skimmed over Apple's developer documentation, leaving users vulnerable to, in the worst case scenario, making an automatic phone call to a premium-rate phone number.

As much as our smartphones have evolved to become smarter, sometimes even more than us, the "phone" part of our devices have changed very little since they day they went digital. Humin wants to change all that. Now available for iPhones, Humin replaces the default iOS phone and contacts app to make collecting people's names and numbers a richer and more memorable experience.

Mobile phone users in the US can now breathe another sigh of relief. Soon, it will no longer be a criminal act to have your device unlocked long after your contract with your carrier expired. Following the lead of the Senate, the House unanimously approved the " Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act", which is now just waiting for the President to sign into law.

Though the vote of 3-2 knocks out a technical ban in the FCC, the rule against using cellphones to make calls in-flight is still being left up to the Department of Transportation to make a final ruling on here near the end of 2013. This week's vote was a close one. The FCC's meeting today had FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler taking special care to note that this vote does not instantly grant travelers the right to make a phone call on their next flight - there's still voting to be done before that's all well and good.

Cisco has announced a new desk phone for your office that takes a standard videoconferencing capable phone for the office and crams Android goodness inside. The phone is called the DX650 and it leverages Android for business needs such as videoconferencing. The DX650 has a built-in webcam supporting full HD resolution video calls at 30 frames per second.